


Believe in Me

by CrushingOnSans



Series: COSOS Stuff [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Death, Disbelief!Blue, Fluff, Heartbreak, M/M, Suicidal Thoughts, Violence, Yandere Papyrus, Yandere US!Papyrus, but fluff too, extreme injury, kind of, more of an i dont care if i die than an i want to die, seriously so much angst, soul injury, spoilers in the rest of the tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-09-15 14:50:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9239672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrushingOnSans/pseuds/CrushingOnSans
Summary: Red and Blue are soulmates. What happens when one of them forgets that?Taken word for word from the chapter 50 special of my OSC. Seeing as it's over 18,000 words, I think it's probably fine lolWOWLOOKNOW THERE'S AN EPILOGUECOME READ IT BROS





	1. Forgotten

**Author's Note:**

> You may think I'm posting this for attention. In which case, you would be right. Please give this attention, I am so proud of it...
> 
> Original is here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/8585845/chapters/20861657

 

_ “Hi! I’m Blue! What’s your name?” _

_ He held out his hand towards the other, who looked at him distrustfully and made no move to take it. “That’s a stupid name,” he growled, his gold tooth flashing slightly in the light.  _

_ Blue just shrugged and smiled, withdrawing his hand. “Well, I like it, and that’s what really matters!” he said brightly, then continued. “I don’t think I caught your name.” _

_ The other sighed loudly and stuffed his hands deeper into the pockets of his scuffed leather jacket. “Sans, same as the rest of you fuckers,” he said finally. _

_ Blue frowned. “Please watch your language,” he insisted, prompting a laugh from the other.  _

_ “What, you got a fucking problem?” _

_ Blue’s frown deepened, and he stepped forward, into the other’s personal space. “As a matter of fact, I do,” he said, narrowing his eyes. The other looked surprised for a moment, then opened his mouth as if to speak. Blue interrupted him with a laugh, then clapped a hand on his shoulder and stepped back. “I’m just kidding!” he said brightly. _

_ The other gaped at him for a moment, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to find the words to express his confusion. Blue didn’t give him the chance, however, grabbing his elbow and beginning to drag him in the direction of the refreshment table, chattering away. “And I know your name is Sans, of course! But we can’t all be Sans, that would be confusing! So you need a nickname! Ooo, we should match!” _

_ “Why the hell would we match?” the other growled, the red magic in his eye sockets flaring slightly as he considered whether or not he should be trying to get away from the smaller skeleton or simply punching him in the face. _

_ Blue turned back to face him, a huge, happy smile across his face. “Because besties always have to match!” _

  
Red hated patrols. If he had to have a stupid, useless job, why did he have to get exercise while doing it? It was unnecessary. But what Fell said, went, so Red found himself stomping through the woods angrily, practically daring anyone to jump out and cause trouble. He shouldn't be working. He shouldn't even be in UnderFell. He should be tearing apart the multiverse to-- He was jerked out of his reverie as he kicked at a clump of snow he was walking by and managed to trip over a rock that had been hidden underneath it.    
Cursing, he fell onto his face, having failed to break his fall with his arms. He lay there and groaned for a solid two minutes before he heaved himself back to his feet and turned to the offending rock. He considered prying it out of the ground and finding out exactly how much magic was required to shatter it into pieces, but decided it wasn't worth the effort and just stomped on it instead.    
He continued on, grumbling more loudly now, but he had barely gotten five feet before he tripped again, this time managing to find his balance before he fell.    
"Oh,  _ fuck _ you, ya piece of shit rock!" he yelled. He whipped around to look for it, deciding that it was, in fact, worth his time to destroy the thing.    
Instead of a rock, he was confronted with the brightest orange thing he had seen in a very long time. It was some sort of cloth, partially covering a figure that was facedown in the snow.

Cautiously, he approached it, summoning a long, thin bone construct in one hand. He stopped a little ways from the prone monster, then held out the bone, lightly poking whatever it was, then jumping back like a small child with a bug when the thing responded by moving slightly. Steeling himself, he flipped the orange piece of cloth off of the potential threat, then jumped back again.     
It was a skeleton. A fairly small skeleton, even smaller than him, if that were possible. Unlike him, their bones were perfect and unmarked, the stretches of whiteness practically gleaming in the soft light of the forest. Their face was pressed into the ground, soft breaths the only sign they was still alive. They were clutching tightly to the orange piece of cloth, as though afraid that it would be taken away from them, and they were clothed only in a white t-shirt and dark pants.    
Red recognized him immediately, beginning to panic slightly as he crouched down and reached to flip him over, hesitating for a moment when he realized that the orange cloth was going to impede him in that goal, as tangled into the back of the other’s ribcage and arms as it was.   
Red reached for the awful thing, grasping what he now realized was a sweatshirt of some kind by the sleeve, his panic keeping him from making any significant connections from it, and attempting to pull it away from him. If anything, the small phalanges only curled into the cloth tighter, and he began hearing small gasping whimpers that told him the skeleton was awake, which made him breathe a sigh of relief and wonder why he wasn’t getting up on his own. He stopped pulling on the hoodie for a moment, and instead kneeled and took the other by the shoulder, flipping him over carefully.    
Red's breath hitched when he saw what was stopping the other from doing anything.  There was a slash through his whole ribcage, from his right clavicle to the edge of his left floating rib. Bright red marrow leaked from the wound, which Red found himself recognizing far too well.    
Then his eyes shifted up to the other's face and he sighed. "Blue?" he asked quietly, and though the other's tired, terrified eyelights showed no sign of recognition, he continued. “Where the hell have you been?”

Upon receiving no further response than faster, more panicked breathing, Red carefully slipped his arms under the smaller form and lifted, picking the other up with an ease that shouldn't have surprised him. Then he shortcutted directly to his room and laid Blue down on his bare mattress. He then blipped to the bathroom and back, now with the first aid kit.    
Marrow had completely soaked the white t-shirt, and Red hissed under his breath. How was he still alive? He started to remove the shirt, slipping one arm carefully through a sleeve, then turning to do the same with the other before he realized that he still had ahold of that awful orange sweatshirt that he should have immediately recognized. He gave it a tug, and when there was no sign of letting go, he grumbled under his breath and just lifted the shirt over his head, pushing the whole thing far enough down his arm so that he had room to work. Blue appeared to have passed out, having used some of the last of his energy to hold on to the hoodie.    
He began cleaning the wound, clearing away the marrow and bits of shattered bone, and...dust? Red frowned. Dust only came from monsters that had died, and Blue clearly was not dead. Then he caught sight of the gray smears on the orange coat, and it clicked. 

Stretch...   
He finished cleaning the wound carefully, trying not to think about it. Then he was left with a stripe of broken ribs, the ends of which he applied ointment to and wrapped carefully.   
When he had finished, he stood up, taking the supplies back to the bathroom, then taking a shortcut down to the kitchen. He pulled open the fridge and grabbed a container of leftover lasagna. After quickly heating it up and grabbing a fork, he went back upstairs.    
Blue was awake again, but just barely. He looked around blearily as Red entered the room, not seeming to be able to focus. Red set down the container of food and silently helped the other sit up against the pillows. "Here," he said finally, picking up the lasagna and cutting off a small piece for the other to eat. "This will help you heal."

Blue opened his mouth mechanically, and Red pushed the fork in, making sure it was absorbed completely before getting a new piece. This way, the entire slice was gone in a few minutes, and the smaller skeleton was looking more and more alert. Finally, as he finished absorbing the final piece and Red set the empty container aside, he managed to choke out, "Who--who are you?"   
Red didn't answer immediately, looking at the other's round blue eyelights. “You don’t know me?” he finally asked, but it was more of a statement than a question, and the other didn’t bother to answer.    
Blue seemed confused for a moment, then said, "I--I'm Sans. Who are--"   
"Me too, sweetheart," Red cut him off gently when it seemed like he wouldn't be able to say anything else. "But people like you call me Red. Howsabout I call you Blue to match?"   
Blue just blinked at him for a moment before nodding tiredly. "Okay," he whispered, apparently too tired to question it.    
Red stood, picking up the now-empty container, and said, "You should try to sleep, alright? It'll help you heal. We can talk more the next time you wake up." **  
** Blue's eyes flashed with something like fear, and he seemed to be trying to sit up straighter, though all that accomplished was for him to scoot his arms back and let out a long, unfiltered groan of pain. Red gently made him lay down, whispering assurances under his breath, half to himself and half to Blue. When the other was settled and seemed to have calmed down enough to sleep, Red left the room quietly, letting his back rest against the door for a moment as he fought back tears. Then he went down to the kitchen and put the container in the sink, absentmindedly beginning to wash it, trying not to think about what it meant that Blue didn't seem to know who he was. 

 


	2. Brother

 

_ “Because I don’t fucking want to talk to you, you little shit!” Red cried, attempting to close the door in Blue’s face.  _

_ “Yes you do! Everyone wants to talk to the Sansational Blue! You don’t have to be embarrassed by your love of my greatness!” Blue yelled back, pushing on the door relentlessly.  _

_ Fell was sitting calmly on the couch, completely ignoring the entire exchange in favor of the book he currently held in his hands.  _

_ “Are you fucking serious?” Red yelled back, trying unsuccessfully to push Blue out of the way. _

_ “No, of course not, but you still need a friend and I’m here for you!” Blue gave an extra hard slam, knocking Red onto the floor and calmly letting himself into the house, closing the door behind him.  _

_ Red jumped to his feet, swearing loudly, about to forcibly pick the other up and throw him through the nearest window, when Fell stood up and set his book aside, glaring at the two of them.  _

_ “Can you two please keep it down? Some of us would like a little bit of peace and quiet!” _

_ Red grumbled under his breath about where he could stick his peace and quiet, but Blue shifted back and forth for a moment in silence. “You have a beautiful home, Fell!” he finally chirped nervously, but Fell just shook his head and walked into the kitchen. _

_ They both watched him go, but Red turned back to Blue as soon as he was out of sight and hissed, “I will kill you if you do not leave right this minute.” _

_ “No you won’t!” _

_ Red was spluttering, and Blue grinned at him happily until he said, “Oh yeah? Fuckin’ check me, then!” _

_ Blue cocked an eyebrow at him, but obeyed without another word. Red had almost the same stats as his brother, except… _

_ “See? I have LV. I really will kill you. So leave. Now.” _

_ Blue regarded him carefully, rethinking some things. Then he nodded decisively and said, “No, you still won’t kill me. I’ve heard about your world, and I can understand something about your situation. You must not have thought you had any other choice.” _

_ Red had frozen completely, staring at him like he’d never seen him before.  _

_ Blue took a step forward and grabbed the other’s hands, smiling kindly. “Besides, I know you can be better. Anyone can!” _

_ Red seemed to be fighting an internal battle, but finally, he sighed and pulled his hands away. “Fine, ya fucking blueberry. What do you want to do?” _

_ Blue’s squeal of delight was enough to make even Fell smile from the next room. _

  
Red had just finished drying the dishes when he heard the door slam open, his brother's shouting filling the house. "SANS! YOU LEFT YOUR POST EARLY, YOU--"   
Red practically ran to the doorway, swinging halfway around it and throwing a weak bone construct at his brother to get his attention. "Fuckin' shhhhhhh!" he hissed at the other, who seemed confounded by the fact that Red was daring to attack and then shush him. "Blue's trying to sleep upstairs," he added quietly, and Fell’s mouth dropped open.

“Blue is back?” he asked, and Red nodded silently. “So you found him, then? He's okay?”   
Red moved back into the kitchen so that his brother couldn't see the look on his face as he said, "Yeah, kind of."   
He went back to washing the container, rinsing the soap off and drying it quickly as he heard his brother come into the kitchen. 

“Kind of?”

“I found him while I was out patrolling...he was laying in the snow and he...he…”   
"Is he okay?"   
Red grasped onto the edge of the counter, breathing deeply. He opened his mouth, and a choked-off kind of sob came out before he could stop it. He set the container down very carefully, studiously avoiding looking at his brother as he said, "No. No, not really."    
There was a long moment of silence as Red tried to steady his breathing. He didn't want to show this kind of weakness in front of his brother. Crying because you were scared was just something you didn't do in this world, no matter how much you might want to. No, he needed to suck it up, to pretend he didn't care if Blue lived or died or forgot all about him--   
Another dry sob racked through his chest, and he found himself sitting on the floor very suddenly, with his brother holding him close to his chest and rubbing his back. He couldn't even appreciate the rare show of affection through the haze of fear and sadness that seemed to be pulling apart his soul from the inside.    
"What's wrong with him?" Papyrus asked quietly, still rubbing Red's back as he cried.    
"He-he had the-the.." Red couldn't find the words to say it, so he just made a slashing motion across his chest, and Papyrus nodded in understanding. "And h-he doesn't know m-me, he d-didn't r-recognize me at all, and h-he had S-stretch's sweatshirt, and th-that m-means--"   
"Stretch is dead?" Papyrus asked, surprised. "Why was he even in Swapverse? And isn't Blue supposed to go before Stretch?"   
Red nodded, still crying. He didn’t know what this meant, that things had changed so drastically. He didn’t know how to even begin to respond to the news that Stretch was dead. Not that the world held any permanence. He’d be back at some point.   
They sat there in silence for a long time, Red sobbing while his brother held him close. It was a role reversal for something they hadn't done since they were both children, starving on the streets of the Capitol, but Red couldn't appreciate it because he was so entirely stuck in the room upstairs next to the small skeleton sleeping in his worn-out bed.    
  



	3. What Are We?

_ Blue really shouldn’t have been surprised. He let his face sink into his hands as he sighed tiredly. Well. There was really nothing for it. There was no reason to sit here and wait for someone who was never going to come.  _

_ He stood quickly, leaving a large tip on the table as an apology for not ever having ordered anything, and left quickly, pulling out his phone. _

_ Red answered on the third ring, his voice even scratchier than normal from lack of sleep. “What?” he growled, but Blue knew he didn’t mean anything by it. _

_ “Hey, Red,” he said, making his way down the path towards his house. His voice sounded thick, which he attributed to the unshed tears of embarrassment. “Are...are you busy?” _

_ “No...didn’t you have a date tonight?” _

_ Blue grimaced before answering, “Yeah. But they...uh...well they never showed. So I’m free! Want to go do something?”. He forced a false note of happiness into his voice, hoping it would be enough to save what little face he had left.  _

_ There was a long moment of silence, and Blue considered telling the other not to worry about it when Red finally spoke. “Meet me in Taleverse in five minutes.” then he hung up.  _

_ Blue looked down at the now-silent phone in confusion, then shrugged, making his way to the machine. _

_ Fifteen minutes later, they stood in the middle of a carnival on the surface. Blue’s previous sadness was forgotten, and he had both hands covering his mouth as he bounced up and down in excitement. Red was grinning at him, apparently pleased with himself. _

_ “Oh, Red, this is so cool! Look at the roller coasters! And the cotton candy, Ooo, can we get some cotton candy?” he knew he was babbling but he didn’t care, spinning around and seizing Red by both hands, his excitement making him talk so fast his words were nearly indecipherable.  _

_ Red was laughing, nodding along to the many questions being asked of him and following along as Blue began dragging him around from ride to booth to game. The excitement was contagious, and Red seemed almost as happy as Blue found himself.  _

_ Finally, they found themselves walking somewhat quietly between the booths, the sounds of a concert and the shouts of the carnies echoing past them. _

_ “Thank you so much, Red. This was the most fun I’ve had in ages!” Blue said happily, pulling more cotton candy off the stick he was holding and putting it in his mouth to melt. _

_ Red smiled at him, and said, “Of course. I’m not about to let some piece of shit robot get you down in the dumps.” _

_ “Language, Red” _

_ They both laughed slightly, Blue eating more of his cotton candy.  _

_ “You know,” said Red, looking up at the lights of the huge ferris wheel that towered above them. “This would make for a fun date sometime.” _

_ Blue grinned at him, elbowing him slightly. “Thinkin’ about bringing Grillby here?” _

_ Red made a face at him. “I’ve told you before, Blue, there’s nothin’ going on there. He’s just not my type.” _

_ “What, not hot enough for you?” They both snickered at the pun before Blue continued. “But yeah, I can see what you mean.”  _

_ He spun around, his arms thrown wide, almost losing his grip on the almost-empty stick he still held. “This place is amazing! I’d love to have my first kiss here! Or be proposed to or something!” _

_ Red blushed, but Blue didn’t notice, still spinning. “Proposed to? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?” he choked out, and Blue paused, arms still thrown out and head cocked to one side.  _

_ “Okay,” he conceeded. Then he laughed, lowering his arms and coming back over to stand beside Red.  “But it’s definitely a requirement that they use one of those things instead of an actual ring!” he said pointing at a booth that held ring-pops and smiling widely.  _

_ Red grinned at him, blush still very much present, then bought two, holding them out to Blue for him to choose which flavor he wanted. Blue thought very carefully before taking the cherry-flavored one, eating the last of his cotton candy before ripping the little package open and slipping it on, snickering slightly at the sight it made against his bones.  _

_ He looked up to see that Red had also slipped the blue-raspberry flavored one on and was still blushing, looking at it very intently.  _

_ Blue reached out and grabbed his hand again, slipping back into his chatter and dragging Red in the direction of the ferris wheel, sucking idly at the ring pop whenever he stopped for breath.  _

  
When Red woke up, he didn't immediately realize where he was. Instead of facing his cracked ceiling, his face was pressed into something hard and metal, and his bones ached from sleeping in an odd position. He straightened his legs slowly and moved his arms out, pausing when they encountered a cold tile floor.    
Oh. Right. Fuck.    
He wiggled out of his sleeping brother's hold carefully, doing his best to avoid waking him.

Very quietly, he made his way out of the room and up the stairs, intending to check on Blue. He stopped by the bathroom on his way and grabbed the first aid kit just in case. 

When he reached his door, he eased it open slightly, peeking in. Then he caught sight of the empty bed and swung it open all the way, panicking slightly. Where was Blue? Had he run off? Had someone--

He was pulled out of his thoughts very suddenly by a bone construct flying towards his face. Cursing, he dodged to the side to avoid it, then looked around the room for its source. 

He found it all too quickly in the form of a small skeleton who was slightly out of sight of the door, shaking from exhaustion and probably pain and looking on the verge of collapsing. 

“Hey! Whoa! Hang on, there, no need to attack me! I just brought some medical supplies!” he said, trying to act like he found this whole thing amusing. The cover didn’t seem to work well, and he felt himself fall slightly farther into his panic. As far as he knew, Blue didn’t attack  _ anyone _ first, not even that damn human. What the hell was going on?

Suddenly Blue was stumbling, falling to the ground with his arms clutched around his injured ribs. “D-don’t hurt me!” he begged, bowing his head. 

Red felt his soul drop as he quickly made his way to the other, depositing the first aid kit on the bed before kneeling in front of him. “Hey, it’s alright, I’m not gonna--”

Before he could react, Blue’s hand flashed out, his face now completely devoid of any fear, reaching under his ribcage and tapping his soul, performing a check and attempting to draw him into a battle. Red’s soul, as pumped up with his EXP as it was, resisted the effort easily, but Blue’s eyes grew wide as Red’s stats were blinked out in front of him.

“You have LV…”

It was a statement, not a question, but Red answered it anyway. “Yes, I do,” he said, trying to keep his voice from betraying any emotion. “It’s all from years ago, I haven’t--”

“Don’t touch me!” Blue screamed, jumping back and away from him. “Don’t come anywhere near me, you...you  _ murderer _ !”

Red felt like the entire world had fallen out from underneath him. “Blue…” his voice was so small, so weak. He could feel a burning behind his sockets, and he didn’t do anything to stop the tears that started to stream down his face. 

“No! Don’t call me that! I don’t want a nickname from someone who’s killed people!” Blue was backed into the wall, but he wasn’t cowering. Instead, he looked angrier than Red had ever seen him in the years that they had known each other.

Red took a step forward, immediately regretting it when Blue’s eyes lit up with his magic, smoke drifting from both sides. He held up his hands in a placating gesture, trying to calm the smaller skeleton. “I would never do anything to hurt you.” he whispered, tears still running down his face.

Blue’s chest was heaving, and he continued staring at Red with anger and magic and a threat in his eyes. “Why, exactly, should I trust you?”

There was a long moment of suffocating silence. Then…

“Because you’ve always trusted me to be better than I ever even dreamed I could be,” Red said, simply. 

Blue’s eyelights went out for a split second, and when they came back, his magic had stopped flaring. He still looked angry, but confusion seemed to be taking some of the fire away. “Do we...do we know each other?” he asked, scrunching his face in a way that Red had long since grown to know very well. 

“Yeah, you could say that,” he said, still being as quiet and nonthreatening as possible. “Can I please check your breakage? It’s starting to bleed through the bandaging.”

Blue glanced down, as though he had only just noticed he was injured, then he looked back up at Red, seeming torn. Finally, he nodded and took a few steps towards Red, who beckoned him to lay back on the bed. As he started to peel the bandages away, pulling new ones out of the first aid kit to redress the wound, he could feel the other’s eyes on him, watching his every move. The quiet in the room was becoming almost suffocating, and Red worked as fast as he could without injuring Blue further, wanting more than anything to just get out of that room. Blue couldn’t have changed this much, could he? He couldn’t have just...lost the hope, the trust and kindness, all of the amazing things that made him who he was. That person couldn’t just be  _ gone _ , could he?

Red wrapped the last of Blue’s ribs, and made to stand up before a small hand seized his wrist. Red flinched slightly, not having expected the sudden contact. He looked down at Blue, not able to quite meet his eyes. He chose, instead, to focus on the pillow right next to his head. It was graying slightly, an old, limp sort of thing that Red had found in the dump years ago. Blue always said it smelled like him, but he always thought it just smelled like Blue. He used to joke that maybe they were both right, since they were the same person, but Blue argued that he would never go around smelling like tobacco--

“How do we know each other?”

Red didn’t know how to respond to that. He was a murderer. Despite his reasons, despite the fact that he hadn't done it since he had met Blue, he was still a murderer. This Blue wouldn’t want to know what they were to each other. He searched for words for a few seconds, still unable to meet the soft blue eyes that were almost always shaped into stars or hearts or something of the like but now were nothing more than cold blue circles. “We’re...we’re real good friends, is all. Known each other for quite a few years.” Then he gently pulled his wrist away and took the first aid kit and the bloodied bandages out of the room, leaving Blue to himself.

 


	4. Soul

_ Blue was roused very suddenly from sleep by someone pounding on his front door. He grimaced and sat up. The one time he let himself fall asleep on the couch… _

_ The pounding came again, more insistent this time, and Blue stood slowly, stretching his vertebrae before making his way to the front door. He turned the handle and it swung open, revealing Fell standing on the doorstep. He looked worried, despite his usually emotionless facade. The moment their eyes met, Blue taking in his desperation quickly, he grabbed his scarf and gloves, pulling them on and slipping into his boots. He took a few seconds to turn back into the house and shout, “Papy! I’m going to Fellverse!”. He didn't wait for a response before gesturing for Fell to lead on. They hurried to the machine, punching in the right numbers.  _

_ The moment it landed, Fell had seized Blue by the elbow and was practically dragging him up the stairs. He wasn't saying a word, but Blue could see the fear in every movement he made.  _

_ They went into the house, and Blue pulled his arm back and immediately jogged up the stairs, leaving Fell to pace alone in the living room.  _

_ “Red?” he asked softly, easing his bedroom door open. He could just make out his shivering form, curled up on the bare mattress that served as his bed. When there was no response, Blue let himself in anyway, crossing to sit beside him.  _

_ Red’s sockets were completely empty, and his shaking was making his bones rattle. Blue, very gently, laid a hand on the other’s arm. “Red, it's okay. You're safe. Blue is right here.” _

_ He continued his stream of assurances, rubbing at Red’s humerus comfortingly. Slowly, the shaking started to abate, and Red’s eyelights flickered back into existence. He looked around, seeming confused until he made eye contact with Blue, who smiled at him tearily. “Hey, Red. Welcome back!” he said, as brightly as he could manage. Red frowned and tried to sit up, but Blue placed a hand in the middle of his sternum and pushed down firmly. “Don't even think about it, tough guy,” he said, trying for a laugh and failing miserably.  _

_ Red just looked at him for a moment, seeming confused, before he allowed himself to be pushed back down. One of his hands drifted up and clutched onto Blue’s wrist, not pushing or pulling, just holding on tightly, as if to ground himself. “D-did I blank out again?” he asked scratchily.  _

_ Blue nodded, then wiped at his tears with his free hand. “Took you a long time to come out of this one, too,” he commented, sniffling slightly.  _

_ Red took one look at that and let go of his hold on Blue’s wrist, reaching out to drag him down so that he could wrap him up in a hug. Blue squeezed back, closing his eyes tightly and fully appreciating the fact that Red was right here, he was right beside him. He’d come back unharmed this time.  _

 

When Red reached the kitchen, he saw that his brother was still asleep. Chuckling far more lightly than he really felt, he nudged him with a foot. “Get up, lazyass,”

Fell nearly fell over, catching himself just in time from face planting into the floor. “Lazyass? Speak for yourself,” he groaned, standing and stretching. 

“Hey, I just thought I’d take the opportunity to return the usual insults you give me. It feels pretty great, actually!”

Fell snorted loudly, then turned to see the way Red was clutching onto the counter again. He sighed quietly, then gripped his brother by the shoulder, turning him to face him. “Did something happen?” he asked quietly.

Red didn’t say anything for a moment.

“He attacked me.”

Fell’s mouth dropped open. “He  _ what? _ ”

“And he saw my LV, and he told me to back off, he couldn’t trust a  _ murderer _ .” There were tears falling down his face again, and Fell looked about ready to join him. 

“I suppose I should keep my distance, then, shouldn’t I?” he mumbled, mostly to himself. 

Suddenly there was a quiet cough from the doorway, and both brothers spun to face the noise, Fell’s magic flaring automatically in defense.

Blue stood in the doorway, holding himself up by clutching onto the wall. His legs were trembling slightly, as though the effort of standing was about to be too much. He was still shirtless, but he had tied the orange sweatshirt  around his waist. 

At the attention from Red and Fell, he seemed to shrink back slightly before attempting to stand up straight and show his confidence in how he was about to handle himself. Red could practically feel his own soul shattering at the fear in his eyes. 

“I-I got hungry,” he said, trying to sound confident and failing somewhat. “I thought I could make it down here on my own but...my legs aren’t really…” He was breathing hard, and Red could see the pain racking its way through his entire body. 

He walked forward quickly, ignoring the sounds of protests as he picked the blueberry up and carried him to the table, depositing him in a chair before moving to grab some more lasagna to heat up. 

There was an awkward silence hanging over them all, broken only by the sound of the microwave humming. 

“Have you slept at all?” asked Fell finally.

Blue looked up at him fearfully and nodded. “Yes. I slept after R-Red?” he looked at Red questioningly, receiving a nod, “Red found me, then I tried before I came down here but I couldn’t anymore.”

Fell turned to Red and quietly asked, “What was his HP the last you saw? He’s shaking like a leaf.”

He heard Blue huff in a very familiar way, grumbling under his breath about how he could hear them perfectly well, thank you very much. 

Red grinned slightly, then tried to check Blue, only to find there was a block. He looked down at his chest, concerned, before looking at Blue, then back to his brother. “I can’t check him,” he murmured, trying not to sound panicked. 

Fell’s eyes narrowed, then he turned to Blue. “Blue, may I perform a check on you? I need to see after your health. We wouldn’t want to lose you.”

“W-why not?” Blue asked quietly, looking terrified by his own daring. 

Fell didn’t answer for a few seconds, seeming to be trying to find the right words, and Red broke in quickly. “He was your friend, too. He’s my brother.”

Blue flicked his gaze to Red, then to the floor, wringing his hands slightly. “Oh.” he said. Then he looked back up at Fell. “You can check me.”

Fell stepped forward and got to his knees, reaching under Blue’s ribs to carefully touch a finger to his soul. He frowned, suddenly, and stepped back quickly. “Blue, can you please pull out your soul so that we can see it? There’s something wrong.”

Red looked in askance at his brother, but Fell wouldn’t meet his eyes. Blue seemed confused, but he obeyed, pulling his soul out carefully and holding it in his hands. 

All three of them stared down at the blue, shining, culmination of his being. 

The bottom half, where the curves would normally be, was completely missing. 

 


	5. Not Found

_ They landed in the middle of Snowdin forest and Red immediately let got of Blue's hand before spinning to face him. _ __  
_ "Blue, I was serious. I really want to marry you" _ __  
_ Blue snorted. "Yeah, okay, sure. Just like everyone else. It's just a really funny joke to pretend to propose to people. Totally hilarious, I get it. I'm just getting a bit tired of it, alright? So could you do me a favor and tell all of them that?" Blue spun around and started to stalk off before Red shortcutted directly in front of him, cutting off his path. _ __  
_ Blue started to go a different direction before Red growled in frustration and grabbed Blue by the cheekbones, pulling his face in and kissing him hard. _ __  
_ When he let him go, Blue was surprised by the look of determination on his face. "I love you, Blue, and I want to marry you, okay?" _ __  
_ Blue pulled himself out of Red's grip harshly and surprised himself by starting to cry. _ __  
_ "T-this, this is j-just too far! I k-know you all think it's r-really funny to m-mess with the guy that'll p-probably never get m-married, but this really needs to s-stop! P-please!" Blue sobbed, and then he buried his head in his hands as his whole body shook with the force of them. "I'm j-just so t-tired of this. I k-know that I'm n-not exactly... y-you k-know...but that d-doesnt meant that I w-want to be r-reminded--" _ __  
_ Blue was cut off by another wrenching sob, and he felt Red come closer, gripping onto him by his shoulders. _ __  
_ "Blue, I don't know how to make you believe me, but I am not joking. You're my best friend. I love you, and when those guys started screwin' with you it just...made me realize exactly what I wanted, ya know?" He felt Red pull him into his arms, holding him tightly for a moment before releasing him. _ __  
_ Blue sniffed, his crying having faded out for the most part, and he looked up at Red. He was surprised to see tears on Red's face as well. _ __  
_ "Let's try this thing again" said Red quietly. _ __  
_ He took the ring-pop off of Blue's finger and knelt back down. _ _  
_ __ "Blue, I promise ya with all my soul that this is not a trick or a joke or anything but the absolute truth. You are my best friend, and I have grown to love you more than anyone or anything these past few years. I want to spend the rest of my life learnin' to love you even more, and nothin' would make me happier. So, Blue, my love..." he grinned and rolled his eyes at how cheesy that sounded and held up the ring pop again "Will ya please marry me?"

 

“We need to go talk to your brother. Now,” Red said as Blue stared down at his soul in horror. At Red’s words, however, he looked up in confusion.

“Why do we need to talk to Stretch?” Fell asked, tearing his eyes away from the mutilated heart. 

Red stepped forward until he was right in front of Blue, then he dropped to his knees and took hold of his hands, gently curling the small skeleton’s fingers around the soul and prompting him to put it back. “Because we need to ask him how the hell this happened, and why Blue was anywhere near him.”

“My brother is...gone. Dead,” came a quiet voice from directly in front of him, and Red was quick to shake his head. 

“I don’t think you’d understand this, but he won’t be forever. If we go back to your timeline, he’ll come back eventually.”

Blue stared at him in confusion bordering on anger. “I don’t think you understand. My brother is  _ dead _ .”

Red nodded at him, continuing on as he scooped him back up, ignoring the squeak of protest. He grabbed the lasagna as he passed and handed it to Blue along with a fork. “Eat. And yeah, I know. You’ll understand when we get back, hopefully.”

Fell followed them as Red walked out the front door and crossed to the basement. “Red, wait, maybe we should--”

“No!” Red said loudly, spinning to face his brother with Blue still held tightly in his arms. “Boss, I need answers! I need to know why he’s like this!”

Fell stared him down for a moment, narrowing his eyes, then he sighed deeply and gestured for him to continue on. Blue was staring up at him, holding tightly onto the food. He looked like he wanted to say something, but was too scared to do so.

Red turned immediately and kicked the door open, stomping down the stairs and making his way quickly to the machine. Setting Blue gently on the one rickety chair that occupied the room and motioning for him to start eating, he turned to the controls. 

He immediately typed in the coordinates for Swapverse, having long since memorized them. The machine whirred for a moment, deciphering the numbers he had entered, then…

_ Not Found _ .

Red stared at the machine. He punched in the coordinates again, only to be confronted by the same message.

_ Not Found _ .

He hit the side of the machine, not noticing how he made Blue jump and Fell cringe. 

_ Not Found. _

He went into the records of travel, taking it back to the date he knew he had last gone to Swapverse, the day after Blue had disappeared. He gave a sigh of relief when he saw that the records were still there, bearing the same coordinates he had just entered. Frowning, he bypassed the manual entry and entered the coordinates using the history he had just found.

_ Not Found. _

_ Not Found. _

_ Not Found. _

 


	6. Bonded

_ “And you said yes?” Fell asked, looking between the two of them incredulously.  _

_ Blue glanced over at Red, who was blushing brightly, then turned back to the others. “Of course I did. We love each other!” _

_ Stretch looked between the two of them for a moment before saying, “Okay, I’m not going to argue that Red loves you. We all know it, it’s been obvious for years--” _

_ Blue’s mouth dropped open at that. “It has?” he squeaked, feeling incredibly guilty. _

_ Fell nodded at him, a small smile on his face, as Stretch continued without responding. “--but I’ve never picked up on any of that from you, Blue. You don’t have to marry him just because you don’t think anyone else will ever ask and mean it, or because you’re afraid he’ll do something drastic if you tell him the truth.” _

_ Blue drew back from his brother slightly, a frown creasing his forehead. He caught Red, out of the corner of his eye, looking down at his hands like he secretly agreed with Stretch and just didn’t want to admit it. Blue huffed and reached for Red’s hand, squeezing it tightly before turning back to their brothers. “We’ve already talked about this, before we came to tell you guys. Red didn’t want to take advantage of me and I didn’t want to rush into anything.” _

_ Red cut in then, mumbling slightly, “He didn’t say yes right away.” _

_ Blue nodded in affirmation of that statement, and Fell looked like that was good enough for him, sporting a smile brighter than Blue had ever seen on his face, but Stretch frowned tightly. “I don’t believe you, bro. You’re just too nice for your own good, there’s no way you actually love him!” _

_ Blue’s mouth dropped open. He couldn’t believe his brother would say something so incredibly mean, and right in front of Red, too! “Papy! How could you even--” _

_ “Stop it, Sans!” Stretch said angrily, standing to loom over them and taking hold of Blue’s humerus. “I’m the older one, I’m not going to allow this! I don’t support you trading your life away just to help him. You’re more important than that, bro, and you--” _

_ Blue jumped to his feet, letting go of Red’s hand to push his brother away from them. “Who the hell do you think you are?” he spat angrily. He heard Red’s sharp intake of breath in response to his swearing, but he quickly brought his focus back to his brother. _

_ Stretch seemed surprised, but anger quickly won out, his eyes narrowing. “Your brother. And I have a responsibility to make sure you’re happy!” _

_ “I AM HAPPY!” Blue yelled back. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before jabbing a finger in his brother’s face. “You have absolutely no right to tell me what to do, or what makes me happy! I love Red! I really do, more than anyone or anything! I just didn’t know that’s what it was until he got down on his knee and my whole body just...just lit up, like the sun was right there and I was as happy and warm as I would ever be! So you sit down, shut up, and stop making assumptions about whether or not I’m happy!” _

_ There was a long silence following Blue’s outburst. Red was looking at the ground again, but he was fighting a smile. Fell and Stretch were both staring at Blue, completely shell-shocked by the strength of his resolve. Then Stretch’s face hardened, and he said, “How do you even know what love feels like? You’re practically a child!” _

_ Blue closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm himself and tightening his hands into fists by his side. He didn’t want to say anything he’d regret, and he wanted this to have a happy ending, but Stretch was making it very, very hard.  _

_ When he finally thought he had ahold of himself, he opened his eyes and made eye contact with his brother. “I am not a child. I am 21 years old, and I am plenty old enough to make this decision, with or without your approval. And my decision is to be with Red. If you don’t like that, you are welcome to leave.” _

_ Stretch didn’t seem to know how to respond, and he sputtered slightly as Blue felt Red grab onto his hand and pull him back. He glanced at him and found that both of the UnderFell brothers were now standing, apparently ready to support him against whatever Stretch said.  _

_ “It’s in my name.” _

_ Blue looked back at his brother, confused. “What are you--” _

_ “The house. It’s in my name.” Stretch looked triumphant. “I don’t have to go anywhere. And you don’t have anywhere to go.” _

_ Blue just stared at him for a few moments. “Papy…” _

_ “Shut up, Blue,” Stretch snapped, reaching for his arm again. “I know you’re making a huge mistake, and I’m not going to let it happen just because you’re too naive to know that’s what it is.” _

_ Blue took a step back, bumping slightly into Red, who held tighter onto his hand, confirming his support. He could feel the tears welling up, disbelief for what his brother was saying making him almost unable to respond, but finally… _

_ “Oh,  _ fuck _ you, Papyrus. You’re not the only person I have! I’ll stay with Alphys if that’s what it’s going to take!” _

_ Then he pulled Red towards the door, ignoring the shocked way everyone was staring at him. Red stumbled slightly, as though he hadn’t been expecting Blue to actually go, and Fell followed them after a tense moment of hesitation. Stretch didn’t say anything, folding his arms tightly in a show of defiance.  _

_ Blue pulled the door open and stomped through, going down the steps as tears began flowing freely down his face. He heard the door close behind them, and he let go of Red’s hand in favor of covering his eyes tightly and beginning to sob. How could he have done that? How could he have just left? And why would Stretch say those things? _

_ He felt a pair of arms loop around him, holding him tightly, and he buried his head in the furry lining of Red’s jacket as he continued to cry. He felt Fell lay a hand on his shoulder, and he broke into a new wave of tears.  _

_ “Hey, shhh, it’s alright, it’s gonna be okay, he’ll come around, you’ll be alright, Blue, I promise.” Red was talking, keeping up a constant stream of reassurances, and Blue found himself calming down despite the whirling emotions that still swirled through his skull.  _

_ When he’d stopped crying, he pulled back, using one hand to wipe away the stray tears. “I-I have to g-go talk to Alphys, s-see if I r-really can stay with h-her,” he mumbled, unable to believe that he had actually just been kicked out.  _

_ “Fuck that, you’re staying with us until that asshole gets his shit together,” Fell said, ever the peacemaker.  _

_ Blue turned to look at him, noting the anger in his eyes. “A-are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother--” _

_ Fell snorted loudly. “You’re going to be married to my brother at some point. I’m fairly certain we can spare the room for you. Hell, you might as well share with Red, since you’re going to end up that way anyway.” _

_ Red flushed brightly, but he smiled at Blue and said, “Of course you can stay with us. You don’t have to stay with me, but--”  _

_ He was cut off very suddenly by Blue going on tiptoe to plant a very teary kiss on his mouth. He blushed an even brighter red, glancing up at his brother to see his reaction. Upon finding none, he kissed Blue again, brushing a few stray tears away, before saying, “Don’t worry, Blue. He’ll come around.” _

_ Blue nodded, seeming exhausted, then they all followed after Fell as he headed down the steps of the basement. _

 

They were back in the kitchen, and Red was pacing back and forth as the other two watched. Blue looked terrified, watching as he expressed his anger with every motion. 

“What the hell is going on?” Red said to the empty air. This was not the first time he had voiced the question, and the others stayed silent. 

“How can it be gone?” At this, there was a small sniffle, just enough to make Red stop and look at Blue. There were a few tears making straight trails down his face. He made no effort to wipe them away, instead staring blankly at Red. He immediately took a step forward, starting to extend his arms before he caught himself and stopped dead. He lowered his arms slowly, watching as Blue cried. He wanted, more than anything, to wrap him up and never let him go.

But this wasn’t his Blue. 

“Blue,” he said gently. “I need you to tell us what happened the last few days.”

Blue sniffed again, eyes seeming to focus. “Or what? You’ll kill me?”

Red sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes and turning to his brother for support. Fell seemed at a loss for words, but eventually he said, “Blue, we would never think of harming you.”

“Why?!” Blue cried, spinning to face him. “What am I to you two?”

When he received no response, he turned to Red. “Well? Why do you keep looking at me like I’m breaking your soul? And why are you so gentle with me?”

Red didn’t know how to respond. “Why...why wouldn’t I be?” was all he could say.

Blue huffed in exasperation. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you’ve killed people?!”

“I thought anyone could be better!” Red shouted back at him, taking a step forward. “I thought you always said you could change anyone, bring out the best in them!”

Blue stood as tall as he could, getting into Red’s face. “I don’t know how you know about that, but I was wrong!”

Red threw his hands into the air and snarled at him. “No, you weren’t! Not about me! Not about Boss! Not about Razz and Slim and Lewd and even his asshole brother!”

Confusion was warring with the anger on Blue’s face as he listened. “I don’t know who any of those people are.”

“Of course you don’t!” Red groaned, reaching up to rub at his face in frustration, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to come again. “And you’ve always been too stubborn to--”

“What’s that?”

Red stopped mid-sentence, looking to see what Blue was talking about. The little skeleton appeared to steel himself, then reached out and grabbed Red’s hand, bringing it to eye level before reaching to poke at something around one of his fingers.

Red snatched his hand away, holding it close to his chest. “Don’t touch that!” he growled. 

Blue’s eyes were wide at he stared at the place where Red’s hand had just been. “Was-was that a bonding ring? Are you  _ married? _ ” 

Red stopped trying to fight the burning behind his sockets as Blue’s words hit him. “I--”

Blue stepped back, horror filling his eyes. “No...it-it wasn’t...are we...is it me?”

No one said anything  at all for a long time, but the look on Red’s face must have been answer enough. Blue took a step back, his mouth dropping open. Red managed to get ahold of himself a little more, and nodded, holding out the ring again for the other to inspect, the blue magic that danced inside it glaringly obvious now that Blue knew what to look for. 

“Yes,” Red answered finally. “We were bonded.”

 


	7. I Loved You

_ Blue rolled over, groaning slightly. Someone's arms came around him and he relaxed into them, planting a kiss on the bottom of their jaw before burying his head in their chest.  _

_ He heard a loud yawn from somewhere over his head, followed by Red’s grumbly voice asking, “What time is it?” _

_ Blue sighed loudly and didn't answer, choosing instead to seize the blankets and pull them over his face, effectively blocking out any sense of responsibility. Red truly brought out the Sans in him, he thought dryly as he snuggled into the other as closely as he could.  _

_ He heard Red snicker, then the blankets were taken out of his hands. Red lifted them up so that Blue was exposed to the light, but his only response was to crack one eye open and curl his fingers into the spaces between Red’s ribs, effectively latching on.  _

_ “I think it might be time to get up, sweetheart.” Red chuckled, trailing his thumb down the back of Blue’s cervical vertebrae.  _

_ “You're not supposed to be the one who has to remind me,” Blue grumbled, opening his other eye so he could properly glare up at him.  _

_ Red grinned and said, “Hey, it's not my fault you're finally turning into a lazybones. It was bound to happen sometime, ba--” _

_ Blue gave a tired screech of indignation and let go of Red’s ribs to prop himself up on his arms. “I am not a lazybones!” he protested, but the effect was somewhat ruined by the fact that he immediately wanted to bury himself back into the blankets again.  _

_ Below him, Red was still giving him that infuriating grin, and Blue found himself losing his glare. Instead, he settled back into the other's hold, lowering himself carefully and letting out an exasperated breath. “Well, okay. But it's all your fault!” _

_ Red laughed again, the sound full and unbridled. “I’ll gladly take full responsibility if it means you stay right here with me,” he said, smiling widely. Blue couldn't help his smile at that, turning to press his mouth to Red’s chin again. _

_ Red sat up slightly and reached for Blue, who was all too happy to oblige. He wrapped his arms around the tops of his fiancée's shoulders as the other planted a kiss directly on his teeth. Blue sighed happily as he pulled back, entirely content.  _

_ “I love you, Red.” _

 

“I...I loved you?”

Blue’s words hurt like nothing Red had ever felt before. Loved. Past tense, as in, this is over. Not ‘I love you’, as he must have heard a thousand times. I  _ loved _ you.

All he could get himself to do was nod, vaguely aware of Fell leaving the room silently, leaving them alone. 

“But...why?”

Red hadn’t thought his soul could break any more, but Blue just kept proving him wrong. “I don’t know. I always thought you could do better,” he managed to choke out, avoiding Blue’s eyes. 

He felt more than saw the other step closer, hesitantly laying a hand on his arm. “I didn’t mean it like that.” Blue said softly. “I was asking why...why I don’t remember. If we were bonded, shouldn’t we be connected? I know what you know and all that?”

Red still didn’t want to look at him. He didn’t want to see this Blue and remember that his Blue was gone, maybe forever. “It was cut away. We already saw that.”

There was a sharp intake of breath, and he looked up to see the Blue’s eyelights had blown themselves wide. “That’s a huge section of soul for a soul bond…” he said quietly.

Red laughed shortly. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s what Boss said, too. Said we were idiots for giving so m-much up. But..but you s-said it didn’t m-matter because you would h-have given all of y-yourself if y-you could.” He was sobbing now, heaving breaths ripping their way out of his mouth as he tried to keep his composure. Blue’s hand against his arm wasn’t helping, making him want to bury himself into the other and never come back up again. 

“Can I see?”

He glanced up, barely able to hold his eyes as he made himself calm down. “See what?”

Blue took another deep breath, then said, “The soul bond. Yours, I mean.”

Red stared down at his hands. He didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to pull out his soul for someone that used to be Blue, to let him taint what little he had left of the monster he loved most in the world. Then he made the mistake of looking at his face again. It really was still Blue, wasn’t it? It was just...Blue from before they knew each other. The Blue that had nearly broken down his door because he thought he needed a friend. A ghost of a smile flashed across his face as he remembered. 

He took his jacket off and started to drop it on the floor before having second thoughts and handing it to Blue. “Here,” he said quietly. “Put this on, you’ve gotta be freezing. I don’t think this’ll hurt your ribs any.” Blue accepted the jacket silently, sticking his arms through and wrapping it around himself. Red lifted his shirt slightly to reach underneath, ignoring Blue’s shocked gasp at the scars that had been exposed on his spine. He drew out his soul, settling it into his palms, and held it out towards the other. 

Blue looked down at it reverently, taking in the red point and blue curves, finally seeming to relax. Then, much like Red had done to him earlier, he pushed Red’s fingers back around the soul and guided his hands back into his chest. 

“Okay.” he said quietly. “I believe you. How do we fix this?”

 


	8. Stubborn

_ Blue sat heavily at a table next to Fell, looking around the large room filled with so many of his friends. Red was across the room, joking loudly with Comic, much to Rus’s chagrin. He was wearing a red tie with a black dress shirt that had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing his heavily scarred forearms. His laughter was loud enough for Blue to hear snatches of it, and it made him smile. He loosened his own tie slightly, feeling a bit overheated from all the dancing he’d been doing.  _

_ “Having fun?” Fell asked, grinning at him. Blue had long since gotten used to the friendliness the other showed him, but it still sometimes drew stares from people to see the gruff, angry captain being so happy.  _

_ He nodded animatedly. “This is really great! I still can’t believe you got Napstabot to DJ!” _

_ Fell waved a hand dismissively. “It’s of no concern. I introduced him to his alternate from SwapFell and he apparently thanks me for the new ‘edge’ he’s been able to find with his music. He said he owed me a favor.” _

_ Blue smiled at that, knowing full well how much Fell had had to pay to get his idol to come. He did keep the books for the brothers, after all.  _

_ “Red certainly seems to be enjoying himself,” Fell continued, gesturing at his brother, who was currently shooting finger guns at Comic. The shorter skeleton was doubled over in laughter, drawing stares from many of the people around them, but they all smiled when they saw who it was.  _

_ “Yeah, I can’t go within ten feet of him when he gets like this, though,” Blue groaned good-naturedly. “Getting those two in any close proximity of each other is always a mistake.” _

_ Fell laughed aloud, nodding in agreement just as Slim passed by, carrying a pair of drinks in his hand, one of which was undoubtedly for his brother.  _

_ Blue watched him go, struck by his similarity to a certain skeleton that was not present.  _

_ “He’s an idiot.” _

_ Blue looked up at Fell, surprised. “Slim? He’s a mechanical engineer, I don’t think he’s--” _

_ “No, no. I’m talking about Stretch,” Fell interrupted, waving a hand to silence him.  _

_ Blue’s gaze dropped to his hands. “No…” he said softly. “He’s just stubborn.” _

_ Fell snorted loudly, then clapped a hand on Blue’s shoulder, who looked up in surprise. “Stubborn is not the right word,” he said angrily. “Stubborn is refusing to clear out the dishwasher or get a new job, not skipping out on his own brother’s wedding.” _

_ Blue sighed silently. He knew Fell was right, but he couldn’t help but blame himself. He was the one who had left, after all. And they had sent him an invitation, but Blue hadn’t spoken to his brother since their fight. It was always possible that Stretch thought he wouldn’t be welcome, and that the invitation was nothing more than courtesy.  _

_ Instead of voicing his thoughts, he turned his gaze back to Red, watching him grab an entire tray of drinks and begin to make his way towards them. “I wish he was here,” Blue said quietly, but by the way Fell’s hand tightened slightly on his shoulder, Blue knew he had heard him.  _

_ Then Red was there, and Blue was all smiles again, taking one of the drinks that were being handed to him and waving off a second.  _

 

Before Red could answer, Blue’s legs collapsed out from under him and he went down with a surprised yelp. Red cursed and quickly put his soul back in his chest before leaning down to try and help him stand back up. Blue’s body wasn’t having it, and Red could see a few blotches of marrow starting to soak through the bandages again. After a few moments of deliberation, he scooped the little skeleton up and started to carry him back to the stairs. 

“Wait, we--” Blue tried to say, but then he started coughing, hard, and Red walked faster, passing his brother on the way. Fell looked at them questioningly, but Red ignored him and kept going. When the coughing abated, Blue tried again. “We need to fix it. We need to make me remember!”

Red shook his head, jogging up the stairs as fast as he could without jostling Blue too much. “Not when you’re like this. You’re hurt, you need to rest. Missing that much of your soul means you’ve got less magic running through your body, and you’re not going to be healing very well for a while.”

“Well then shouldn’t we be trying to fix my soul?” Blue asked, coughing again as Red opened his bedroom door and carried Blue to the bed. 

“I have no idea how to do that. I’ll go talk to my brother, but until we have any sort of solution, you need to rest.” Red set him down and pulled the blankets over him, tucking them around him snugly before backing away. Blue’s eyelights were already dimming, despite his protests, and Red quietly bid him good night before leaving, shutting the door firmly behind him. 

_ How do we fix this? _

Where did they even begin? Why was the part of Blue’s soul that had been Red’s gone? Why was his universe gone? Why didn’t he remember anything about them? He remembered once, when Blue’s world had reset and he’d forgotten about them, but that had been before they’d really been friends, and he hadn’t really cared all that much. Since then, he hadn’t had to worry about it a whole lot because their bond had let him--

Red’s steps stuttered as he connected the pieces.  _ Of fucking course... _ How could he not have thought of that? The bond was gone, he had no way of remembering the resets.

But Fellverse hadn’t had a reset since Blue disappeared. They were rarest in his world, where even the most insane of humans didn’t have much of a desire to relive meeting the assholes that populated this place. Which meant…

Red cursed and finished walking down the steps, making his way back outside and down into the basement, running down the stairs to the machine. He pushed several buttons, pulling up the travel history and searching for the date Blue disappeared. 

Oh, that mother _ fucker. _

 


	9. Mending Fences

_ Blue stood nervously on the doorstep, stepping from one foot to the other and steeling his nerves. Finally, he knocked. _

_ “Just a minute!” called a familiar voice, and Blue had to stop himself from running away. There was a crash that made Blue wince, wondering what had been broken and hoping it was nothing important. Then the door was flung open, accompanied by a fair amount of cursing, and Stretch was standing in front of him. _

_ The moment he saw who had knocked, he fell completely silent, just staring down at his brother emotionlessly. He had dark circles under his eyes and he was only wearing his shorts and a tank top. His sweatshirt was probably in the wash, which seemed strange. Blue didn’t know Stretch even knew how to do laundry. _

_ “Hi Papy.” Blue said, wringing his hands. He half-expected Stretch to just slam the door in his face and walk away, but instead, he stepped off to one side, wordlessly telling Blue to come in. Blue did so, wiping his shoes off on the mat and walking into his old house. He looked around for a few seconds, noticing some minor changes here and there. The pet rock didn’t have any sprinkles on it, and there was a new couch. He supposed the old one must have finally given up the ghost and he had been forced to replace it. He found himself hoping it was still comfortable enough for his brother to sleep on when he got too drunk to make it upstairs. _

_ “What are you doing here?” Stretch’s voice seemed raspier somehow, as if he’d been smoking more since Blue left.  _

_ Blue turned to look at him, taking in the relaxed posture of his brother. Anyone who didn’t know him well would think he didn’t care what was going on, but Blue could see the nervousness in the way he kept sliding his hands along where his stomach would be, as though he was trying to stuff his hands into his pockets.  _

_ “It’s been almost a year.” Blue murmured cautiously. He wanted this to go well. He wanted to mend ties, he wanted his brother back more than anything.  _

_ “Yeah. What about it?” Stretch asked, eyelights flicking down to the ring on Blue’s finger before coming back up to not quite meet his eyes. “So you’re married, then, huh?” _

_ Blue nodded, trying not to cry at the intense awkwardness between them. “Yeah. Wish you’d been able to come.” _

_ “Sorry, I had a thing.” _

_ There was a long silence, punctuated only by the ticking of the clock in the kitchen.  _

_ “What have you been up to?” Blue asked, desperate to break some of the tension. _

_ “Working a lot. Not much else to do.” _

_ There was another long silence. _

_ “The house looks nice.” _

_ “Yeah.” _

_ “Oh, for goodness sakes, Papyrus!” Blue said, tears finally coming into his eyes. “I don’t want it to be like this!” _

_ Stretch scoffed slightly, walking to the couch and sitting heavily, refusing to look at Blue. “Then I guess you shouldn’t have left, huh?” he said bitterly.  _

_ Blue huffed, stepping a bit closer. “You did kick me out.” he said cautiously.  _

_ Stretch’s head snapped up, and he glared at his little brother, who couldn’t help taking a step back. “I didn’t kick you out,” he snarled. “You chose to leave, with  _ him _. I’ll bet he’s here, isn’t he? Waiting down in the basement for you to come back to him? To leave me again?” _

_ “No!” Blue protested, holding his hands out in a calming gesture. “They don’t even know that I came. I...I didn’t want to jinx it.” _

_ Stretch looked at him curiously. “You want to mend ties?” _

_ Blue nodded, tears starting up again. _

_ “Fine. I’ll mend ties. If you come back here. If you leave him and you stay with me.” _

_ Blue sighed. “I can’t just leave him, Papy. I told you before, I love him. And especially now that we’re bonded, I don’t want to--” _

_ Stretch shot to his feet, taking a few steps forward until he was in Blue’s personal space. Blue froze in place, forcing himself not to step back and away from his anger. _

_ “You’re bonded?” _

_ Blue squinted at him incredulously. “Of course. What did you think being married meant?” _

_ Stretch let out a short, mirthless laugh. “Marriage doesn’t mean a bonding! It’s only a promise to stay together, to work honestly towards something like that.” _

_ Blue was already shaking his head, cursing himself for forgetting how his old world was different. “Not in UnderFell. They bond right away because of how often people die. It helps partners always know if the other is alive or being attacked.” _

_ Stretch swore loudly. “So they’ve even fucked that up! Damn it, Blue, how can you live somewhere that’s so backwards?” _

_ Blue just watched his brother sadly, not knowing what to say.  _

_ Suddenly, Stretch was on both knees in front of him, holding tightly onto his hands. “Please, Blue. You need to get rid of it. You need to stay with me.” _

_ ”Papy, I’m not just going to erase it. It means more to me than that!” Blue said incredulously, pulling his hands away and glaring at his brother.  _

_ Stretch looked almost desperate as he reached out, grabbing tightly onto Blue’s hands again and not letting him pull away this time. “Please, Blue. I’m begging you, I can’t protect you while you’re there. I don’t know if you’re..if you’re alive, or if you’re a pile of dust and a blue bandanna!” _

_ Oh. So that was it.  _

_ “Papy, I’m not going to die again. There’s already been a reset in Red’s world. The human in UnderFell doesn’t kill people.” _

_ Stretch’s head snapped up and he stared at him, unbelieving. “How do you--” _

_ Blue gestured at his chest, where his soul lay beneath his ribs. “My soul bond with Red. He remembers the resets, so it lets me remember them, too.” _

_ Stretch just stared at the place where Blue had gestured, then something seemed to come over him. “That’s it…” he said quietly. “You have to forget.” _

_ Before Blue could react, Stretch lunged forward, and in less than a second, he held Blue’s bared soul in his hand and was standing up to his full height. Blue began to panic. He knew Stretch would never hurt him, but he also knew that that didn’t hold true for the part of his soul that was dyed red. _

_ “Papy! Please! Please, don’t, please stop, I don’t want you to--” Blue was sobbing, devolving into incoherency as he watched him summon a small bone construct. He jumped for his soul, but Stretch was so much taller than him, he would never be able to reach it in time. Desperately, he summoned a bone construct, but he just couldn’t make himself throw it at his 1 HP brother... _

_ The bottom curves of his soul turned to dust as Stretch severed the section of red away. Blue screamed in pain, his attack dissolving, and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.  _

_ Stretch, with far more care than he had given anything else in his entire life, returned his brother’s mutilated soul to his chest cavity. He scooped him up gently, carrying him out the door and murmuring, “Don’t worry, Sans. I’ll keep you safe. They’ll never take you away from me again.” _

 

Red burst in through the door, slamming it closed behind him and yelling, “It was his fucking brother!”

Fell looked up from his book, surprised at the sudden entrance. When he heard what Red said, he quickly set it aside and took of his glasses, standing and crossing the room to his brother. “What are you talking about?” he asked quietly, not wanting to wake Blue, if he’d had time to fall asleep yet.

“Stretch! It was Stretch! He cut the soul bond off!” Red said angrily, stomping the snow off of his shoes and folding his arms tightly. 

Fell’s mouth dropped open despite himself and he said, “He did  _ what? _ How do you know?”

Red threw his hands up into the air. “Motherfucker never liked that his brother left him. And Blue went to Swapverse the day he disappeared! Stupid fucking blueberry must have wanted to mend fences or something.”

“Didn’t you go talk to him once we realized Blue was missing?”

“Yeah, but it’s not like he would have admitted it. He barely let me into the house, and he would have hidden Blue somewhere where I couldn’t see him. Besides, you know I thought it was Undyne!”

Fell cocked an eyebrow at him. “Well, then I suppose we are lucky that I didn’t allow you to kill her wife, aren’t we?”

Red snorted at that, then swung around and punched the wall, leaving a sizeable dent behind. “That fucking--gah! I would kill him if I could figure out why Blue’s fucking world is blocked!”

Fell placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder comfortingly, and Red took several deep breaths. “I don’t think that Blue would want you to do that, Sans.” Fell said softly, and Red deflated. 

“I know,” he said softly. “Even though he fucking deserves it.” Damn it, he was crying again.

“Are you going to tell him about this?”

Red looked at the ground, rubbing at his eyes. “I don’t know. Should I?”

“I think he deserves to know. What are we going to do about it?”

“What can we do about it? Is there a way to fix this?”

Fell took hold of Red’s shoulder and steered him to the couch so that he could sit. “Fix what, exactly?”

Red sat down heavily, still rubbing at his eyes and trying not to let his brother see the tears that were falling down his face. “Th-the soul bond. Or even just his soul, I suppose. He was talking about wanting to fix it after you walked out, and I thought maybe--”

Fell was shaking his head. “You know you can’t do another one. The amount that you traded in the first place was dangerous enough, and if you give any more of your soul, there is the possibility that you could fall down. And Blue doesn’t have enough of a soul left to allow for mistakes.”

Red rubbed at his chest thoughtfully. “What if I gave it back?”

Fell looked at him, confused, and Red hurried to explain. “What if I give him some of his own soul back? Since it has my magic now, wouldn’t it be like a soul bond on his end? And I would still have some of him left, so it would work both ways. M-maybe it would even give him his memories back!”

Fell looked thoughtful, and Red felt his hopes soar. “That could work. But Red...that could easily kill him. Is it worth it, to lose him?”

Red almost said yes. He almost stood up and started going upstairs right that second to try it, consequences be damned. He needed  _ Blue _ , and not the...the stranger upstairs. But he saw the look in Fell’s eyes, and he remembered how much his brother had changed over the last few years. How much Blue had changed him. He had basically adopted his brother’s alternate, taking him in and treating him like family. Blue and Red were everything to Fell. Blue wasn’t just his to risk. 

“I...no. No, it’s not,” Red whispered. 

 


	10. Fix Me

_ Blue had completely exhausted himself from crying. He didn’t think he had anything else left in him to cry. He was tied up in the shed, which normally would have been fairly easy to get out of, but Stretch seemed to have made some additions in here since he left. The bars were closer together, too close to get through, and every object had been removed, leaving Blue with no bed or food or even the kind notes he would have left a human if he had captured them.  _

_ What was he going to do? Red and Fell wouldn’t think to come here for him. He hadn’t even told them that he was leaving, let alone where he was going! Maybe they would think there had been a reset and that he’d been returned to his world? But no, they knew that when Swapverse had a reset, Blue stayed with them. _

_ They would think he’d been dusted. They would think someone in their world had killed him. _

_ Blue found himself hoping very hard that they wouldn’t kill anyone. They’d been doing so well, Fell had even found the beginnings of gaining back the emotion he had lost to his LV. He didn’t want them to lose all of that just because of him.  _

_ And what would happen when the world reset? He didn’t have his soul bond anymore, he would forget everything! Would he return to UnderFell? That was his world now, but...he was pretty sure resets didn’t cross multiversal lines. No, he would stay here...and he would forget.  _

_ What was he going to do? _

_ His remaining piece of a soul gave a painful lurch, and he gasped slightly. He could feel the missing part as though it had been a piece of his body that had turned to dust. There was an intense sensation of something missing. _

_ Had Red felt it when their connection had been severed?  _

_ Blue hoped not. Red didn’t deserve to be in pain like he had been. This was borne of his own trusting stupidity. _

_ The door creaked open suddenly, and Blue squinted at the sudden stream of light. Stretch stepped through carefully, shutting the door behind him. Blue glared at his brother, trying not to shake. There was probably nothing to be afraid of. Stretch had already gotten what he wanted, and despite everything, he did seem to have what he thought were Blue’s best interests at heart.  _

_ Blue knew he wouldn’t hurt him. He knew he could be better. He could be helped. _

_ Blue could help him. _

 

Red cracked his door open, more food in his hands. “Blue?” he asked quietly, not wanting to wake him if he was still asleep.

“I’m awake,” came the muffled reply, and Red shivered slightly at how tired he sounded. 

“Brought you more food,” he murmured, stepping through the door and closing it behind him. “Do you mind if I turn on the light?”

Blue made a noncommittal noise that Red chose to take as a no, and he flicked on the light. Blue was sprawled facedown across the bed, and Red couldn’t help the ghost of a smile that flickered across his face. Blue was still wearing his jacket, and he had the hood flipped up so that Red couldn’t see his skull and he had managed to kick off all of his blankets, which were now bundled down somewhere around his knees.  

“Hey, who let the fluff monster in here?”

Blue let out a groaning sort of laugh, then rolled over. “I didn’t mean to lay like that, that actually kind of hurt. I roll around a lot in my sleep, is all,” he informed him.

Red smiled for real this time and said, “Oh, believe me, I know. Can’t count the number of times I’ve woken up to you hitting me in the face with your flailing,”

Blue huffed and pulled himself into a sitting position. “I do not  _ flail! _ ” he protested.

“Oh, yeah? Tell my eye that,” Red laughed, gesturing at a small crack under his left socket as he pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed. 

Blue’s eyes widened. “Did I really do that?” he asked, seeming a little surprised at his apparent strength.

Red laughed loudly and shook his head. “Nah. That was Doggo, I’m just messin’ with ya.”

Blue huffed and smacked him on the arm, and for a second, it almost felt how it used to. Then the moment was gone and he dropped his eyes, choosing instead to focus on the sheets that were now bunched around Blue’s feet. 

“Did I hear something about food?” Blue asked quietly, seeming to pick up on the mood of the larger skeleton. Red held out the plate, and Blue took it, digging in happily. “What’s with all the lasagna?” he asked around a mouthful.

Red shrugged. “My brother makes it when he’s stressed. I’d bring you some tacos but we don’t have any left from when you were here.” he said apologetically. He knew that the lasagna wasn’t the best, but unless Blue liked mustard for some reason now, it was really the only option. 

Blue hummed thoughtfully, taking another bite and swallowing it. “What happened to me?” he asked suddenly.

Red looked up at him, confused. “What do you mean?” he asked. 

“Like…” Blue set the plate aside and gestured to the room around him. “Why do you look so much like me? How did I end up here with you? Where was Papy in all of this? And where did I go? You found me in what I’m pretty sure now was a pile of snow, and you didn’t even seem surprised. You just took me home and patched me up. Did I leave or something?”

Red studied him for a moment. “It’s a bit complicated,” he said finally.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Blue said stubbornly, picking the plate back up and taking another bite. 

“Alright,” Red sighed. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard of multiverse theory?” 

As he explained, he refused to look at Blue’s face, focusing down at his hands. He talked about travelling through different universes using the machine in the basement, meeting other versions of himself. He told him about the resets, and how so many other versions of themselves had gone through them too. He managed to hold his emotions in check through telling him how they met, and how Blue showed up at his house three days later, insisting on being let in so that they could be friends. He kept his eyes dry as he spoke about their growing friendship, how he fell deeply in love with him, coming to need him so much that Blue was often the only one who could help him out of his panic attacks and flashbacks. He told them about an annoying practical joke their friends had played on Blue that led to him proposing, and Stretch’s reaction to that announcement. Blue tried to interrupt him then, probably finding that hard to believe, but Red ignored him and kept going. He told him how they took him in, how they were married and subsequently bonded, and Blue didn’t make a sound as he told him how one day about a year after they’d left Swapverse, Red had come back from his job to find the house empty, an unusual and concerning thing for the world they lived in. He had, of course, immediately panicked, searching high and low for Blue through the entire underground, but he came up empty. He’d asked through the other universes, but everyone said they hadn’t seen him. When he finally trailed off, Blue asked, quietly, “How long have I been gone?”

“Only about two weeks,” Red answered, mouth dry from all of the talking he had done. “You were back in your world the whole time, and I..I thought you were dead.”

There was a long silence, then Blue asked, “Didn’t you check in my world? You must have at least thought I would go and try to fix things with Papy. He’s my brother.”

Red nodded tiredly, still not making eye contact. “Yeah, that’s the first place I checked after I finished searching my world. But your brother told me you weren’t there, and I...I was so sure you’d been dusted. I’d gotten in this big fight with Undyne, and she’d threatened to kill you, so I just assumed it was her. I almost killed the bitch, but--”

“Language.”

Red’s gaze shot up to meet Blue’s, shocked. Blue looked horrified by his slip of the tongue, but Red found himself surprised that he had held out as long as he did. Suddenly, he found himself laughing, hard enough that the tears finally came, but they weren’t sad. Blue looked surprised by his sudden laughter, but he’d always said how infectious Red’s real laugh was, and he was soon joining him. 

As he calmed down, Red stood and walked over to the closet, a huge smile still across his face. He slid open the door and reached up onto the top shelf, bringing down two jars and crossing back to Blue before handing them over.

Blue turned the jar that was stuffed full of Gs, and he started laughing all over again when he saw the label. “I made you have a swear jar?” he asked between breathless giggles. 

Red nodded, grinning, then said, “Yeah, and my brother. His is even more full than mine. You always used it for groceries and fixing up the house, and let me tell you, they never ran low.”

Blue laughed again, then looked at the other one. “Why do I have a G in here?” he asked, seeming somewhat surprised. 

Red smiled again. “There was a bit of an incident involving Boss and a Halloween mask hiding behind the shower curtain for you to come in.”

Blue seemed to like that answer, bursting into a new fit of laughter. Red watched him as he tried to calm himself down, still smiling softly as he watched. 

After a few moments, Blue turned and caught his eye, and there was a spark of something Red had been missing that passed between them. Blue seemed to feel it, too, and his smile got sad. 

“Is there anything we can do to fix me?” he asked quietly, having sobered quite a bit. 

Red sighed, dropping his smile and looking at his hands again. “I don’t know. The only thing we can think of to do is far too dangerous. It could easily kill you, with your soul being as weak as it is.”

“My world is gone, isn’t it?”

Red looked up at him, frowning slightly. He hadn’t expected this turn in the conversation. “Yeah, I think so. Stretch might have done something he didn’t understand when he did that to your soul,” he answered. 

Blue nodded thoughtfully. “Then I don’t care. We need to try it, whatever it is.”

Red’s eyes widened as he stared at the determined expression on the other’s face. “Blue, you could die--”

“I told you, I don’t care. My world is gone, my memories of you are gone. What do I have left to live for?” Blue didn’t look sad, he looked clinical. As though they were discussing how to fix the sink instead of why he wanted to risk his own dusting. “And won’t I come back anyway? This world resets, right?”

“Blue, you can’t just--”

“What’s the point of my soul surviving if everything I love is gone?” he asked suddenly. “Tell me that. I’ve lost  _ everything _ .”

Red stared at him. How could he say that with such a lack of emotion on his face? “Blue you haven’t lost everything--”

Blue threw his hands up into the air in exasperation. “Red, I don’t even remember you! And I loved you enough to have bonded with you! My world is gone, and there is no reason for me to be around without it and without you!”

Red didn’t know how to respond to that. His face must have shown his indecision, because Blue sighed and set the jars aside before scooting himself closer and taking ahold of both of Red’s hands, forcing him to look at him. “Please, Red. I’ve got nothing left. You’ve got to help me try to get something back.”


	11. Sleep

 

_ Sans woke up quickly, just like he always did, beating his alarm clock by almost fifteen minutes. He high-fived one of the action figures he kept by his nightstand, impressed with himself in that he had managed to beat his own best time. _

_ He hopped out of bed, dressing quickly before going to wake Stretch. He slammed the door open, posing in the doorway and yelling, “Get up, Papy! It’s time to make the most of this day! Maybe it stopped snowing!” _

_ To his surprise, Papy was already sitting up in bed, and at Sans’s words, he smiled widely. “I’m sure it has, bro. Why don’t you go check?” _

_ Sans gasped happily and dashed to go look out the downstairs window.  _

_ After he left, Stretch collapsed back into his bed, a grin growing on his face. “It worked…” he whispered, almost unable to contain himself. _

 

“Blue…”

Blue tugged on his hands, placing them on his chest, above where his soul lay. “Don’t say that you can’t. Please, Red. I just want to remember you,” he begged, tears starting to gather in his eyes. “I...I can  _ feel  _ my soul reaching out for you. I didn’t know what it was before but when you’re right here, I can feel myself wanting to be closer to you. I’ve never felt anything like that before.”

When Red stayed silent, staring at him with an unreadable expression, Blue kept talking, desperation making the tears come faster. “I have nothing left. Absolutely n-nothing. And don’t t-tell me we can start over, b-because I can s-see the way you look at m-me when you think I’m not watching and I know you don’t w-want me. You w-want the other me. Don’t you?”

Red opened his mouth to protest, then closed it, finding himself unable to lie when Blue was looking at him like that. He hated himself for not being able to truthfully tell the other why it should matter, why they shouldn’t do this. 

“I would rather have you like this than dead,” he said finally, relieved at himself that it was the truth. 

“I don’t have to die!” Blue said, gripping tighter onto his hands and leaning closer. “You said it yourself, it’s just a risk! And isn’t...isn’t remembering you worth the risk?”

Red just stared at him. He didn’t know what to say. Hell, there was nothing to say. Blue was looking at him earnestly, but Red could see he knew exactly what he was asking. 

“I just want something to survive for,” Blue said quietly, and that sealed it. 

“Okay,” Red said, too quietly to be heard. He cleared his throat and repeated himself, louder this time. “Okay. We can try. But you need to finish healing first. I’m not adding any more risk than there needs to be.” 

Blue nodded excitedly and, after a moment, let go of his hands, allowing Red to stand and grab the empty plate. He laid down slowly, wrapping Red’s coat more tightly around him. Red pulled the blankets back over him gently, not making eye contact. 

He turned to leave, but Blue shifted suddenly and said, “Wait!”

He looked back, and Blue blushed brightly. “I...I had nightmares last time. Can you…” he cut himself off, looking away and towards the blankets. “Can you stay?” he finished, still not looking up. 

Red hesitated for a moment, then set the plate aside and crossed the room, kicking off his shoes and climbing into the bed awkwardly. Blue immediately turned over and pressed himself against the other. Red wrapped his arms around him and closed his eyes, trying to pretend that everything was back to the way it had been. 

__  
_ "I see you are approaching, human. Are you going to give me a hug of acceptance?" Sans asked happily, extending his arms. Of course he, as magnificent as he was, was able to change the human's mind! Of course it had been he that had-- _ __  
_ All thoughts fled his mind as the human's smile changed and they brandished the knife they held. He looked at them in shock as they began walking steadily towards him. No! No, they could change! They could be better!  _ __  
_ Why were they doing this? _ __  
_ Sans made himself stay still, forced himself to trust in the human. He knew they could do better, and he believed in himself, that he could be the one to change them.  _ __  
_ The human raised the knife, bringing it up high, and Sans realized, very suddenly, that he was about to die.  _ _  
_ __ Almost before he had a chance to finish the thought, there was a flash of orange, and the human brought their knife down. "Papy!"

 

Red blinked his eyes open, wincing at the sudden influx of light assaulting his sockets. There was something pressed against him, and he forced himself to open his eyes the rest of the way and look down. 

Blue had managed to get the hood of his coat flipped partially back up, and it obscured part of his face. His soft breathing was stirring the fur of the lining slightly, and he had his hands tucked up in front of him, fists clenching into the material of Red’s shirt. Their legs were tangled together, and Red knew from experience that he wouldn’t be able to escape the embrace without waking Blue up. 

So he stayed there, rolling onto his back to get comfortable and pulling Blue up slightly. Blue made a small noise and shifted, wrapping his arms around the bottom of Red’s ribs. Red watched him silently, taking in the sight of the little skeleton. He’d always been at his most adorable when he was sleeping, whether he was conked out on the couch with his mouth hanging open and snoring loud enough to make Fell peek in from the other room, or he was dozing lightly on the ferry, leaning against Red’s shoulder because he was so tired from the day of walking through the underground. 

This used to be Red’s favorite part of the day, making himself wake up before Blue so that he could watch all the little expressions, the shifts in his breathing and in his body, always pressing himself as close to Red as he could, and always managing to have completely kicked the blankets off of them, if not onto the floor. As he lay there, taking him in all over again, he realized that nothing had changed in that regard. He brought a hand across himself, carefully cupping Blue’s cheek. Blue, as always, nuzzled unconsciously into the touch, then turned his head so that Red had to be careful about not poking him in the eye, and solidly bit Red’s finger.

Red snatched his hand away, trying to muffle his cursing whilst also trying not to laugh. He had forgotten about that particular quirk. Despite his efforts, his snickering seemed to stir the smaller skeleton, and he blinked sleepily, letting out an adorable yawn before seeming to realize where he was, sitting up quickly. From this angle, Red noticed that the orange hoodie had disappeared, but he didn't have time to wonder where it had gone before Blue winced, grabbing onto his ribs. Red extracted his legs before joining him, crossing them and reaching for the leather jacket.

He hesitated, glancing up and receiving a nod of approval before baring Blue’s chest. The marrow had started soaking through in earnest again, and he groaned slightly, berating himself for not checking it earlier. Blue’s restless sleeping must have done some damage. 

He pulled himself out of bed, saying, “Be right back” before he blipped away, reappearing quickly with more bandages. He pressed Blue to lay back down and began removing the old dressings, being as gentle as he could so as not to cause any more pain. 

“You can teleport,” Blue said quietly, his voice slightly strained with pain. Red nodded, continuing to work.

“Papy could teleport, too.”

At this, Red looked up at his face. Blue’s eyes were squeezed shut, and he was grimacing. Without waiting for a response from Red, he continued. 

“I...I know he wasn’t nice. Selfish, and all that, and that he probably hurt me. But I don’t remember it. He was all I had, for such a long time. He raised me.”

Red went back to changing the bandaging, electing to keep his opinion to himself. 

“From what you’ve told me, the human usually kills me first, doesn’t it? It...it tried. I was trying to tell them that they could be better. That they could change. But they...they didn’t listen. They were going to kill me. But Papy took it.”

Red finished removing the bandages and started to apply the new ones, listening intently. 

“He stepping in front of the knife and took the hit for me. And...well, he only has 1 HP. The human didn’t even bother to stop walking after he started to turn to dust. They just stepped around me and kept going.”

Blue took a deep, shuddering breath, and Red paused for a moment as the area he was working on shook. 

“B-before he died, he said he loved me, and that he was glad I knew that. He told me never to forget that he was the one who loved me the most, even if he sometimes didn’t act like it. I didn’t understand it at the time, but...do you think that maybe he knew what was going to happen? That the world would disappear?” 

Red finished what he was working on and gathered up the bloodied bandages, intending to teleport down to the kitchen to throw them away, when Blue reached up and grabbed his wrist. He looked at Blue’s face, and realized he actually wanted an answer. 

He sighed. “I don’t know. But in any case, I’m glad you ended up back here.” Then, before he could question it, he leaned down and planted a kiss on the top of his head before gently freeing himself and teleporting to the kitchen.

 


	12. Disbelief

_ Sans held the cloth so tightly in his hands, he could feel his joints creaking. He knew his eyelights were gone, and he could feel the tears running from his eyes so quickly that even if he had the presence of mind to wipe them away, he wouldn't have been able to keep up. _ __  
_ His brother's dust filled the air, and Sans was trying not to fall into despair as he thought about how it had been his own stupidity, his own idiotically innocent belief that anyone could be good if they tried, that had caused this. He may as well have held the knife himself. _ __  
_ But he hadn't. _ __  
_ Sans felt his eyelights return and the tears stop as he stood slowly, too numb to register that more dust was falling out of the coat. He tied the offensively bright sweatshirt tightly around his waist and began making his way after the little horror that had killed his brother. _ __  
_ He no longer believed in them. _ __  
  


“You have to take your shirt off, you dork,” Red said, pulling slightly at the hem of Blue’s shirt. 

Blue fanned at himself, grinning widely. “Well, how forward of you, sir!”

Red snorted and pushed at him, making Blue fall back onto the bed as he laughed at his own dumb joke. ‘More of a Papyrus’, indeed. 

It had been almost two weeks since Blue had come back. His universe was still gone, but he had slowly gotten happier. He still couldn’t sleep alone without having nightmares, but that was okay, because Red was always there to keep them away. 

“Take your fucking shirt off, seriously,” Red laughed. 

Blue sat back up and stripped off his shirt, an old one of Red’s that was black and said ‘I find this humerus’.  “That’s a G for the swear jar!” he sang out as he tossed the shirt at Red’s face.

Red dodged and snorted again. “Yeah, alright shorty. How about you make me?” he said as he knelt down to inspect the previously injured area. The breaks had healed over nicely, and despite the fact that the pieces of rib that had been cut away would never come back, his sternum and the upper parts of his ribcage that hadn’t been affected still protected his soul enough for daily life. 

“Is it healed enough to try it?” Blue asked quietly, and Red sobered slightly.

“It’s gettin’ there,” he said. “We’d better give it another day, just in case.”

“Are you sure? It looks like it’s--”

He was cut off by the door swinging open without warning, Fell outlined in the doorway. 

“Blue, when you are finished, I require you in the kitchen. I cannot find the soo-meen.”

They both stared at him until Blue finally said, “The what?”

Fell huffed in exasperation. “I am trying to make tacos like we did last night, and the recipe calls for soo-meen.”

Red, suddenly realizing what his brother was talking about, started to laugh, standing as he did so and handing Blue back his shirt. 

Blue glanced at him, confused, then turned back to Fell. “I’ve never heard of that. Are you trying a new recipe? How is it spelled?”

“C-U-M-I-N.”

Blue looked like he had just won the lottery with the grin that spread across his face. “It’s pronounced cue-min, Fell,” he said, happily exasperated. “Here, I’ll help you find it.” 

Red shook his head, still laughing as Blue followed Fell out and down the stairs, pulling his shirt back on as he went. 

 

_ Standing quietly in the huge golden room, Sans awaited the arrival of the human. He was going to fix his mistake. He didn’t care what happened to him, he didn’t care what it took, he was going to stop the human from destroying what little hope they had left. _

_ He only had to hope he was good enough.  _

_ The stained glass windows only let in a small amount of light, and he would have expected this hall to be dim. However, everything seemed to glimmer brightly. It almost felt like a dream, but every time Sans let himself start to believe that he could just wake up and all of this would be gone, he would catch sight of the sweatshirt tightly tied around his waist.  _

_ Papy dying in front of him hadn’t been a dream. He had felt the dust in the air, choked on it even. There was no way it hadn’t happened.  _

_ Sans took a deep breath and stood his ground as he heard footsteps echoing at the end of the Hall. _

 

After dinner, the three of them had settled down to watch some TV. Blue was in the middle, with Red to his left, and he looked on the verge of falling asleep, at one point even accidentally cuddling up to the wrong brother. Fell had found this very amusing, but Blue had blushed so hard he looked like an actual blueberry, despite their assurances that it was something he did often. Finally, after about the five hundredth time Blue yawned, Red pushed him off the couch good naturedly and told him to go to bed. Blue, smiling, stood up and went to the stairs, pausing at the bottom to look back at Red.

“I’m comin’,” he assured him, starting to stand when Fell grabbed his arm and tugged him back down. 

“I need to talk to you,” he murmured, and Red turned and gestured for Blue to go up without him. 

“What’s up?” he asked, turning back to his brother. 

Fell looked at him carefully for a moment, then said, “I know what you are planning to do.”

Red jumped slightly, then opened his mouth to protest, but Fell held up a hand to stop him. “I am not going to tell you what to do,” he said. “But you need to think very carefully about this. These last two weeks have been something close to normal, and I don’t think that it’s necessary to risk his life to get something you already have a hope of obtaining.”

Red spluttered like a fish, unable to find the words to respond to something as upfront as that. Finally, he gathered himself enough to say, “He said he would rather risk dying than keep living without anything to ‘survive’ for, Boss. How the hell was I supposed to respond to that?”

Fell glared down at him, the show of anger being the first Red had seen from him for almost the entirety of the last two weeks. “You tell him that he can survive for all of this!” he said, gesturing around the room. “For his family here! For you!” At that, he jabbed a finger at Red’s chest. 

Red just stared up at him. “He...he said that he knew I...I didn’t…” he trailed off, looking down and thinking carefully about what Blue had said. At the time, the words had made sense. Red didn’t want anyone but his Blue. But now…

This was his Blue, wasn’t it?

“Just think about it, Sans,” said his brother, standing and turning off the TV before going up to his room. Red sat and thought quietly for a few moments, then stood and walked up the stairs, making his way to the room he and Blue shared. Creaking the door open, he saw that Blue was awake, but just barely. 

He let himself into the room, and Blue’s eyelights glowed slightly brighter, lighting up his arms as they reached up for him. Smiling, he walked to him and crawled under the covers, allowing Blue to curl into him as he always did. 

“What did he need?” Blue asked sleepily, already letting his eyes fall closed. 

“Just wanted to talk to me about some stuff,” Red murmured, kissing the top of his head lightly. “Nothing to worry about.”

He felt Blue nod against him, then his breathing slowed, and Red silently held him as he fell asleep. 

This was his Blue. 

He turned to face him, wrapping both arms around him and pulling him closer. He let his eyes drift shut as he let himself breathe in the scent of cilantro and tobacco smoke. He could feel his soul sending out tendrils of magic towards the other, trying to connect, trying to find anything to latch on to.

This was his Blue.

He tightened his hold on the other as tears began to slip down his cheeks. His soul sent out more magic, and he encouraged it, desperate for anything, anything at all to latch onto.

This was his Blue.

He fell asleep to the sound of Blue’s breathing and the feeling of his magic wrapping its way around the person he loved most in the world. 

 

_ He was so tired. He had never been so tired before. They had been fighting for hours, every blow and dodge and hit draining his energy. He wouldn’t last much longer, and he knew it.  _

_ He was just so tired.  _

_ He almost didn’t feel it when the human slashed him across the ribs, breaking through bone and only just missing hitting his soul. But then he did. And he screamed.  _

_ The human looked down at him, frowning. When had he fallen to the ground.  _

_ “You know,” it said emotionlessly, “I thought you would be way more fun like this.” _

_ Then it stepped over him, and he watched through tear-filled eyes as they walked away, never once looking back.  _

_ He was so tired. It hurt so much. _

_ His eyelights flickered out, his vision going completely black. All he felt was pain, burning through him like fire. All of his bones felt like they were splitting apart. He laid there for what felt like years, but was, in reality, probably a few hours. _

_ Then he felt a pressure, like everything in him was being squeezed at once. Was this what dusting felt like? _

_ He was...he was so… _

_ Cold? _

 


	13. Promises

“What do you mean, you're not going to do it?” Blue asked, his eyes wide and disbelieving. “Red, you promised--”

Red held out a hand. “I just said we needed to talk about it first,” he said gently. 

Blue stared at him for a few seconds, then huffed and sat back down on the bed. “Fine. What do we need to talk about?”

Red sat beside him, the air between them slightly less comfortable than it had been lately. “I don't want to risk you dying.”

“Haven't we already been over this? It's worth the risk to--”

“To get me back, right?” Red interrupted. “Blue, you already have me.”

Blue turned to look at him, surprised. “But I'm not _your_ Blue. I don't remember anything about you.”

“You can learn it! You did it once, why not do it again?”

“But I thought you didn't--”

“I do. I do want you, Blue. I don’t care if you remember me before this. When we got married, I promised to love you however you came to me and I’m going to keep that promise.”

Blue’s mouth was half-open and he was staring at Red like he'd never seen him before. When no response was forthcoming from him, Red continued, trying to express exactly what he was feeling. “If you're willing to start over, to try it again, I would be happy to start over with you.”

Blue’s eyes welled up with tears as he listened, but Red couldn't seem to stop. “I love you, Blue. Just as much as the day you left, just as much as when I asked you to marry me. I don't care if you don't remember, I don't care if you've changed, I’ll never stop loving you.”

“Red…” Blue said, and Red choked on his remaining words, looking at him hopefully. “Are...Are you sure?”

Red leaned forward, taking his hands and pulling them into his chest, just like Blue had done to him two weeks ago. His soul immediately began sending out tendrils of magic, and they wound themselves around Blue’s fingers. Despite being incorporeal, they still seemed to be holding tight, as though afraid he would pull away. Blue watched them as his tears began to spill over, seeming enamored by the sight. 

“I'm completely sure.” Red said softly. “These last two weeks have felt like falling in love with you all over again. And if all you need is something to survive for, I want to help with that. I don't want to take any risk of losing you again, Blue. You're my entire world.”

And with that, Blue leaned forward, pressing his teeth against Red’s and closing his eyes tightly. Red wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer, savoring this moment, committing it to memory. 

This was his Blue. And he never wanted to forget that. 

  
  
  



	14. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here, have a bonus epilogue. I hope it's enjoyable ;)

Red stumbled through his bedroom door and out onto the landing, blinking blearily as he went and, as a result, nearly running face first into his brother. Stopping himself just in time, he tipped his head back as far as it would go, the only reasonable way to look at him, honestly, and saw that he looked completely normal and chipper. 

Well, fuck him. 

Yawning, he followed Fell down the stairs, albeit at a much slower pace as he did his best to convince himself that he really did have to be awake right now. He and Fell had been roped into working the late shift the night before, and Red hadn’t even woken up when Blue had gotten up that morning. It had been  _ years _ since he’d let Blue get up without him. 

With a groan of frustration directed at the complicated task of walking, he entered the kitchen, looking around blearily for the little skeleton. He found him quickly, kneeling on a stool in front of the stove and making...were those pancakes? 

Walking up beside him, he planted a tired kiss on his cheek before crossing the room and collapsing into a chair at the table. He let his forehead hit the cool wood and let out another loud groan, protesting the whole idea of mornings. He heard Blue laugh, followed by a loud sneeze from his brother. Red peeked to one side to see Blue waving Fell away from the food, reaching up into the cabinet and handing him a plastic bottle full of blue...something? He was tired, he didn’t really care. 

He could vaguely see Fell waving Blue off before he put the container on the counter with a shrug, reaching out and getting another bottle and setting it right next to the stove before he turned to Red and smiled. Red could feel his tired soul lifting just at the sight of the other in his stupid frilly apron and a spatula in his hand, and he buried his face in his arms to hide the flush he knew was cropping up on his face. 

“Red! Come get some breakfast, it’ll help you wake up.”

He jumped, not having heard Blue approach. He peeked up, making his best star-shaped eyelights, and opened his mouth, about to say something before Blue interrupted him, shaking his head and smiling. “No, I’m not getting them for you. Walking across the kitchen will help you feel better, okay?”

Red let out a prolonged groan of protest, but the other just rolled his eyes and crossed the room, leaving him to his deliberation. Were pancakes  _ really _ worth getting up for?

Well. They were Blue’s pancakes. 

Heaving a sigh, he pushed himself to his feet, half-wandering across the kitchen to the counter. Blue, ever the realist, had plated the pancakes for him, and gestured to the counter, where he had apparently put the syrup. Fell already had his, and was sitting at the table as Red grabbed the nearest bottle and poured it haphazardly over his pancakes, not really bothering to look at what he was doing. When he finished, he crossed the room, sitting down heavily next to Blue and starting to eat. 

Blue let out an amused sigh, then struck up a conversation with Fell. As Red started to wake up more, his chewing slowed. These pancakes tasted strange…

Glancing over at Blue guiltily, he choked down the pancakes as quickly as he could. Blue’s cooking had improved a lot over the years, but that didn’t mean he was--

“Red, why is there blue stuff all over your plate?”

Red paused, his eyes clearing a little as he followed Blues gaze, then frowned in confusion. Did Fell get blueberry syrup last time he went shopping? He didn’t even know they had that outside of UnderTale. 

Fell suddenly burst out laughing, then leaned across the table, swiping up a drop of the liquid and putting it on his tongue. When he tasted it, his laughter increased as he pulled out his phone, starting to dial. Red watched this with some confusion. 

“Who are you calling? Did...did I just poison myself or something?!”

Still snickering, Fell shook his head, holding up the phone to his ear. “No, I’m calling in sick for you at work. You’re not going to be able to go in today.”

There was suddenly laughter from beside him, and Red looked to the side, more confused than ever. Blue’s eyes were filled with mirth as he licked his thumb before reaching out and wiping a trace of the mysterious blue substance from beside Red’s mouth. “C’mon, let’s get you up to bed. You just poured cough syrup all over your pancakes.”

Red groaned and slumped forward in defeat, Blue moving the plate quickly so that he didn’t stick his face in it. This was just not his day. 

 

_ Blue laughed, reaching out to shake Red, harder this time. “Wake up, come on! You can’t sleep the whole day away!” _

_ “I can too,” the other mumbled, turning over and burying his face in the pillow before letting out a very obviously fake snore.  _

_ Blue rolled his eyes, but he was grinning in spite of himself. With a huff, he let himself fall back into bed, half on top of the other. Red let out a quiet oof, but otherwise continued his fake sleeping. Blue laughed, reaching out and poking at his ribs in an attempt to make him move around. Despite some quiet giggles, however, Red didn’t budge. If anything, his snores became a little more realistic. _

_ “Hey! Don’t actually go to sleep!” _

_ Red ignored him, his body relaxing into the bed and one arm coming up to drape over him almost subconsciously. _

_ Blue raised a brow, then turned around, positioning his face right by the other’s skull. He took a deep breath, then sang-yelled, “YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE! MY ONLY SUNSHINE!” _

_ Red groaned, rolling over and displacing him, but Blue kept on going until Red sat up, turning to glare at him. “I want a divorce.” _

_ Blue just laughed, turning and tucking himself into Red’s side. He could feel the other’s soul pulsing in tandem with his, and the happiness flowing over him, despite the occasional pulse of annoyance.  _

_ “No, you don’t. You love me.” _

_ “Of course I do. Does that mean I can sleep all day?” _

 

Blue’s hands were hovering over Red, eyes wide as the images flashed through his brain. What was…

“Blue? Did ya hear me?”

His head shot up, making eye contact with the other as he started to realize what had just happened. He shook his head, still only-half listening as he processed it. 

“Does this mean I can sleep all day?” 

 

_ “Of course, not, lazybones! You have to go to work!” _

 

“Of...of course, not, lazybones...you...you have to….” Blue was whispering, staring down at Red, still half out of it.

Red’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he propped himself up on his elbows. He looked like he was ready to crash, but he was forcing his eyes open, looking up at Blue in half-recognition. “Are you okay?”

 

_ Red laughed, full throated and loud, before reaching out and tugging him closer. Blue sighed happily, tangling his legs with Red’s and resigning him to staying here for a few more hours.  _

_ “You know, Red, you really do bring out the Sans in me.” _

 

“Yeah...I...uh…” Blue cleared his throat, but his eyes were filling with tears, and he felt Red reach out and pull him down into his chest, comforting him the only way he tired brain knew how. “Do you...do you bring out the…”

Red looked at him questioningly, his eyelids starting to flutter shut. “Bring out the what?”

“The Sans in me.”

There was no response, and Blue glanced up to see that he was fast asleep, his long night and unfortunate breakfast catching up to him. He studied his face, noticing a few differences from the one he could see in the back of his mind somewhere. He had a few new scars, and his face seemed less...relaxed. As though he had a permanent sadness tucked away somewhere. 

Blue’s eyes filled with tears, and he quietly extracted himself from the other’s arms, doing his best not to notice the way Red tensed slightly in his sleep. 

 

_ “Hey, who ever said that was a bad thing? We get all kinds of rest, and the blasters are pretty cool!” _

_ Blue shook his head, attempting to pull away so he could start his day, only to have Red tighten his grip. “Red, I swear…” _

_ “You really shouldn’t swear, Blue, it doesn’t suit you.” _

_ He was grinning at him in that infuriating way of his, but Blue couldn’t get himself to frown. He leaned up, pressing a kiss to the side of Red’s head. “C’mon, you have to get up. I’ll take you to get nice cream during your lunch break, deal?” _

_ “Oh my God I LOVE you!” _

 

He was…

He was _ remembering. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....What would you say about a part 2? XD

**Author's Note:**

> Come hang out with me on my [Tumblr](http://crushingonsans.tumblr.com/)!  
> I post the occasional line or two from things I'm working on, answer asks, occasionally attempt to art, and play Cards Against Humanity with my followers every Saturday! Everyone is welcome to come, just watch out for the post each week and follow the link!


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